Yeon Deung Hoe
Lotus Lantern Festival) (연등회 · Seoul
– Past
This edition has finished.
Korean festivals usually keep to roughly the same window each year, so the next
one should land near those dates — but the organizer publishes the confirmed
dates and they move, sometimes by weeks.
Last verified: 2026-08-22.
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A 1,200-year-old lantern parade through central Seoul on the evening before Buddha's Birthday. UNESCO-listed in 2020.
Who it suits: Anyone who wants one unmissable evening rather than a whole day out — it is a street parade you watch from the pavement, no ticket and no temple etiquette required.
When, where, how much
From the organizer
Organized by Yeon Deung Hoe Preservation Committee. These pages are the organizer's own and open on their site. They are usually Korean only — but that is where the confirmed programme, stage times and site map appear first, and times and prices read the same in any language.
Program: Exhibition of Traditional Lanterns, Eoulim Madang (Buddhist Cheer Rally), Daedong Hanmadang (Post-Parade Celebration), Traditional Cultural Events, Cultural Performances, Etc.
Photos: Korea Tourism Organization · visitkorea.or.kr · KOGL Type 3
Read our longer write-up on this festival →
Where it is
Where it is in the country — 1 km north-east of Seoul
About 134 km across — 18 other places we cover sit inside it. The pick of them is listed below.
1 km north-east of Seoul, in Seoul (straight-line distance from Seoul City Hall, calculated from the venue's official coordinates).
We have not timed these connections ourselves, so rather than print a number we have not checked, here is the route on the two apps Koreans actually use — Area of Jongno as the destination, already filled in:
- Directions on Kakao Map — live bus and train times, and which platform
- Naver Map — the stronger of the two in English
From Seoul, journeys to Seoul start at Seoul Station (KTX and regular rail) or the Express Bus Terminal. Which of the two wins depends on how many cities you are stringing together — our rail pass guide works through the break-even, and getting around Korea covers why these two apps beat Google Maps once you are on the ground.
Nearby, if you are making a trip of it
Within about 20 km of the venue, by distance:
- Tapgol Park (0.1 km)
- NKDB North Korean Human Rights Exhibition Hall (0.1 km)
- Alive Museum, Insa-dong (0.2 km)
- Dynamic Maze (Insa-dong) (0.2 km)
- Le Miel Plastic Surgery (0.3 km)
- Insadong Cultural Street (0.3 km)
Places and distances from the Korea Tourism Organization's location data. We have not visited all of them.
Getting there and staying
We have a full guide to this area — see our Seoul guide for where to stay and how the town fits together.
Festival weeks fill local rooms earlier than you would expect. What is available in Seoul right now:
Seoul is easy enough to navigate on public wifi, but the thing you will actually want data for is the organizer's page — stage times and road closures around a festival get posted the same morning, in Korean. A Korean eSIM is the cheapest way to have it working before you land.
Planning a trip around it
On at the same time
If your dates are fixed, these run within ten days of Yeon Deung Hoe and are worth checking before you commit to a route.
- Mungyeong Chasabal Festival — 2026/05/01 – 05/10, Mungyeong, North Gyeongsang, 132 km from Seoul.
- Chunhyang Festival — 2026/05/06, Namwon, North Jeolla, 243 km from Seoul.
- Miryang Arirang Festival — 2026/05/07 – 05/10, Miryang, South Gyeongsang, 280 km from Seoul.
- Chuncheon Mime Festival — 2026/05/24 – 05/31, Chuncheon, Gangwon, 74 km from Seoul.
- Hwaseong Boating Festival — 2026/05/22 – 05/25, Hwaseong, Gyeonggi, 51 km from Seoul.
- Haeundae Sand Festival — 2026/05/15 – 05/18, Haeundae-gu, Busan, 331 km from Seoul.
Other festivals in
Same province, different times of year — useful if you are choosing when to visit rather than when to leave home.
- Pyeongchang Trout Festival — January, Pyeongchang, Gangwon
- Cheorwon Hantangang River Ice Trekking Festival — January, Cheorwon, Gangwon
- Daegwallyeong Snow Festival — February, Pyeongchang, Gangwon
- Gwangyang Maehwa Festival — March, Gwangyang, Jeonnam-Gwangju
- Gurye Sansuyu Festival — March, Gurye, Jeonnam-Gwangju
Running every week nearby
These are not tied to the festival and run on their own schedule, so they are there whether your dates line up with Yeon Deung Hoe or not.
- Royal Guard-Changing Ceremony, Gyeongbokgung — 10:00 and 14:00, closed Tuesdays, free. Heungnyemun Plaza, Gyeongbokgung Palace.
- Royal Guard-Changing Ceremony, Deoksugung — 11:00 and 14:00, closed Mondays, free. In front of Daehanmun, Deoksugung Palace.
- Saturday Gugak Concert — Saturdays, 15:00, From ₩20,000 (B seat) · ₩30,000 (A seat). Umyeondang Hall, National Gugak Center, Seocho-gu.
- NANTA — Most days — times on the booking page. Myeongdong NANTA Theater · Hongdae NANTA Theater.
Our own guide to the area
- Seoul — Palaces, hanbok and hanok neighborhoods, built around the one palace that closes each day.
Other museums within reach
- National Museum of Korea — Yongsan, Seoul, about 6 km away.
- Sihwa Tidal Power Moon Observatory — Daebudo, Ansan, Gyeonggi, about 45 km away. Sea and ecology rather than history.
A mountain in the same trip
Korea's national parks charge nothing to enter, and these are close enough to pair with the rest of this trip rather than needing one of their own.
- Bukhansan Hiking — about 6 km away.
The coast from here
- Muuido and the West Coast Beaches — Muuido, Jung-gu, Incheon, about 57 km away.
Filmed near here
- KPop Demon Hunters — Namsan, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, about 2 km away.
- Seoul Drama Filming Locations — Itaewon, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, about 4 km away.